Mount Vernon tries to save Social Security office

Citizens in Mount Vernon are fighting to keep their Social Security office from closing.

The Stevens Avenue operation is slated to close Sept. 20 because of budget cuts, but residents are hoping a new presidential initiative will help their cause.

Under the "We the People" initiative, if 5,000 signatures are collected within 30 days, President Obama's office will respond to the issue. Today, organizers say they have just surpassed 5,000 signatures and will be sending the petition to Washington next week.

Local leaders say the office must remain open because it's a hub of the city's downtown. State Sen. Ruth Hassell-Thompson says the people of Mount Vernon deserve their own office. "There's this constant drain of resources being taken out of this community and asking our citizens to go to White Plains [or] the Bronx in order to receive services that they expect to be local."